Thank you for moving Virginia toward becoming the first southern state to take action on climate by capping carbon pollution from power plants and enabling trading in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) market. I support the revised rule, especially the lowering of the starting cap to 28 million tons. Finalizing this rule is an important step in tackling climate change in the Commonwealth, and I hope it inspires other states in the South to cap their carbon pollution as well.

While the rule is not perfect -- emissions must be reduced even further to avoid catastrophic global warming scenarios -- the new, reduced cap is a strong step towards ensuring Virginia does its part to protect its citizens. The lower carbon cap will drive additional benefits for the health of our children and families with further reduction in co-pollutants like particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide.

I also applaud the Board and DEQ for including concrete steps to ensure that low-income, minority, tribal and other environmental justice communities are empowered to participate in the agency’s program monitoring and review process. These communities are integral to Virginia’s just transition to a clean energy future.

Thank you for your commitment to climate action. I look forward to the finalization of this important regulation.